Jerome Corsi of WorldNetDaily

NAIROBI, Kenya – The government of Kenya is holding WND senior staff reporter Jerome Corsi in custody at immigration headquarters after police picked him up at his hotel just prior to a scheduled news conference in which he planned to announce the findings of his investigation into Barack Obama’s connections in the country.

Corsi, the author of the No. 1 best-selling book “The Obama Nation,” was picked up by authorities at his hotel at 9:45 a.m. and detained at Nyayo House, the provincial headquarters for Nairobi. “Just as we were about to start the 10 a.m. press conference at the Grand Regency Hotel in Nairobi, Kenyan immigration approached us and detained us,” Corsi told WND by telephone this morning. “Tim Bueler, my publicist, and I are now in the immigration offices, with our passports taken. The immigration officer told the press, ‘There is no problem, and Dr. Corsi is a friend of Kenya.'”

Unconfirmed reports say Corsi has been taken by government officials to the airport. He has not been available by phone or e-mail since 9:30 a.m. Eastern. Corsi had extensive meetings with top Kenyan officials upon his arrival. His visit and his activities during his stay have been well-known to authorities at the highest levels. A senior immigration official in charge of investigations, Carlos Maluta was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: “We still haven’t decided what to do with him.”

Despite reports elsewhere to the contrary, Corsi has not been arrested or charged with any offense.

An official with the Embassy of Kenya in Washington said he was unaware of Corsi’s detention. The Ministry of Immigration in Nairobi could not be reached for comment. WND tried again, later, to contact a spokesman for the embassy and was told by a receptionist the official word is that Corsi was not detained. “He’s enjoying his holiday in Kenya,” she said. Corsi had promised a news conference today that would “expose details of deep secret ties between U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and a section of Kenya government leaders, their connection to certain sectoral groups in Kenya and subsequent plot to be executed in Kenya should Senator Obama win the American presidency.”

Meanwhile, the management of the hotel where Corsi was scheduled to hold the press conference has repudiated its plans to provide the facility.

It seems criticism of Obama can be a risky venture, even in America.